University students are working to improve the make-up of internal prostheses, implanted into patients following an operation, by using new equipment that allows for better testing of metals and other materials.

The characterisation equipment, which looks like a modern-day contraption inspired by an old Frankenstein movie, is part of a €5 million EU-funded investment within the University of Malta’s Faculty of Engineering.

It allows researchers to analyse material properties down to atomic scale. It will enhance the university’s ability to assess the quality of imported materials and collaborate more with industry in research and development, faculty dean, Stephen Abela said.

Another part of the same investment, financed through the €50 million European Regional Development Funds allocated to Malta by the EU, includes a sophisticated computer that translates a computer drawing into a three-dimensional model. Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday had a look at this equipment during a visit on the first day of the Discover University open week.

He was also shown another new EU funded investment – a super computer cluster, worth almost €700,000, that has the power of over 350 computers working simultaneously.

This computer allows for the faster processing of data in various fields that include climate change, genetics and astronomy. It also allows for sharing of data with other universities.

Dr Gonzi said this investment was a “crucial step forward” in ensuring students, who pursued their studies abroad, returned to Malta to further their research and apply it locally.

University rector Juanito Camilleri said the investment was helping the university build a research infrastructure that would enhance the university’s credibility with industry and international counterparts in a variety of fields such as science, engineering and medicine.